All of us have heard the sagely advice that ‘All obstacles are opportunities.’ Though the message is inspiring, most of us have not actually come across people that have converted their difficulties into opportunities. So, we don’t take such messages seriously and never bother to change our attitudes towards obstacles.
When Ken Savage was working as a search engine professional with Kronos, he was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes.

American Diabetes Association says that diabetes is a disease in which the body does not produce or properly use insulin. Insulin is a hormone that is needed to convert sugar, starches and other food into energy needed for daily life. The cause of diabetes continues to be a mystery, although both genetics and environmental factors such as obesity and lack of exercise appear to play roles.

Type 1 diabetes results from the body's failure to produce insulin, the hormone that "unlocks" the cells of the body, allowing glucose to enter and fuel them. Type 2 diabetes results from insulin resistance (a condition in which the body fails to properly use insulin), combined with relative insulin deficiency. Most people who are diagnosed with diabetes have Type 2 diabetes. Tens of millions of Indians suffer from diabetes.

Ken Savage had a serious problem and he, like every other patient who is worried about his health, began his online and offline research to learn more information about the disease so that he could find a better or permanent solution to his problem. As he wanted to share the information that he collected with others, he launched the BattleDiabetes.com blog. He started to make posts on his blogs during the night and weekends on Type 2 related news, Type 2 diabetes diet and exercise. His wife helps him a lot by doing research on Type 2 and ensures that his articles are error free.

After making many high quality posts on his blog, Ken Savage did a few basic promotional activities that anyone can do, Soon his blog started to attract more than 5000 hits a day. With such a huge traffic he decided to make some money. He ran contextual ads and eBay ads related to diabetes products on his blog. And his extra income crossed $40,000 a year (Rs. 16 lakhs!).

Loren Baker who interviewed Ken’s success story says, “… Using a balance of passion, education, sharing, basic SEO, link building and contextual advertising; Mr. Savage has taken the diagnosis of a major and life threatening disease and turned it around into a commercial opportunity; while at the same time combating his own disease and helping to prevent others from developing full blown Type 2 diabetes.”

DeWayne McCulley is an ex-diabetic engineer who survived a near-death, coma experience with a blood glucose level of 1337 -- more than a thousand points above normal. Despite hyperglycemia, dehydration, two blood clots, high cholesterol, pneumonia and four insulin shots a day, DeWayne was able to use his engineering and biochemistry background to methodically and completely wean himself off the insulin, Coumadin and other drugs to lower his average glucose level to 92.5 and his hemoglobin A1C to 4.5% -- reversing his diabetes, losing over 50 pounds, and requiring no drugs of any kind in less than 6 months.

DeWayne decided to write a book that explains the real root causes of Type 2 diabetes and how to beat the disease (and its complications). His hope is that this book will inspire you the way he was inspired -- by people he would never have met if it were not for his experience with diabetes. His book Death to Diabetes: The Six Stages of Type 2 Diabetes Control & Reversal became one of the bestsellers. He became world famous and made a lot of money. DeWayne currently works as an engineer for a Fortune 500 company and as a community health advocate, providing presentations to families, churches, wellness groups, and other community groups about diabetes, nutrition, heart disease and stroke. Had he not been afflicted with Diabetes, he would be living as an unknown, middle class engineer.

It is not possible for most people to write a book, get it published and sell it in thousands like DeWayne McCulley. But, creating a blog, submitting it to search engines, running Google AdSense ads and other affiliate programs and making some money is within the reach of all, yes, all.

So next time you face an obstacle, difficulty, disease or problem, treat it as an educational and commercial opportunity and it will be.